Devices of this type are known, in particular, in connection with handbrakes of motor vehicles. The motor vehicle is braked by a handbrake being pulled, wherein the lever locks in the braking position. Devices of this type are normally provided with a pull element, in particular a Bowden cable, in order to transmit the force from the handbrake to the vehicle brakes. Since the Bowden cable is subjected to constant stress, however, it stretches in the course of time. The result of this stretching is that the handbrake has to be reset after a specific period of time. It is known to carry out this tightening by means of a thread and a nut. The disadvantage of this solution, however, is that, on the one hand, resetting must take place manually and, on the other hand, the lever position is different from before the adjustment. This new lever position is often felt to be unfamiliar and therefore has an adverse effect.
To solve this problem, devices are already known in which the pull element is retensioned automatically. Automatic adjustment takes place by means of sawtooth elements which function in a similar way to a ratchet. However, not just any changes in length of the pull element can be set, since the change in length must exceed at least the tooth size predetermined in each case. If this readjustment is to be as continuous as possible, therefore, the teeth selected must be as small as possible. If the teeth become too small, there is the risk that the positive connection will be broken and the action of the handbrake lost. Another disadvantage is the unpleasant noises caused during adjustments. Finally, another disadvantage is that the teeth may have burrs which are undesirable.